Liquid cooled mixing tool for machines for applying glue to shavings

ABSTRACT

A mixing tool, especially for a machine for mixing glue with particles such as wood particles and the like, in which the particles are supplied to a horizontal drum-like container having a shaft rotatable on the axis. Each tool projects radially from the shaft to near the periphery of the container and is formed of hollow tubular legs converging toward the leading side of the tool and substantially parallel to the periphery of the drum. Each tool is supported on the shaft by generally radially tubular struts and cooling fluid is passed along the shaft and through the struts and the aforementioned legs.

litfid States Patent Lbdige et a1.

LIQUID COOLED MIXING TOOL FOR MACHINES FOR APPLYING GLUE TO SHAVINGS Inventors: Wilhelm Liidige, Elsener Str. 9c; Fritz Liidige, Leuschner Str. 12;

Josef Liicke, lm Lohfeld 13, all of 479 P-aderborn, Germany Filed: Mar. 19, 1973 Appl. N01; 342,680

Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 22, 1972 Germany 2213778 U.S. Cl. 165/92 Int. Cl. F28d 11/02 Field of Search 165/92, 94, 86, 93

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1917 Connolly 165/92 [451 May 20, 1975 2,504,033 4/1950 Merlis 165/92 2,594,142 4/1952 Feldstein et al. 165/92 Primary Examiner-Charles Sukalo Attorney, Agent, or FirmWalter Becker [57] ABSTRACT A mixing too], especially for a machine for mixing glue with particles such as wood particles and the like, in which the particles are supplied to a horizontal drum-like container having a shaft rotatable on the axis. Each tool projects radially from the shaft to near the periphery of the container and is formed of hollow tubular legs converging toward the leading side of the tool and substantially parallel to the periphery of the drum. Each tool is supported on the shaft by generally radially tubular struts and cooling fluid is passed along the shaft and through the struts and the aforementioned legs.

14 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHAYZOIQYEI 3,884,294

SHEET 2 OF 5 T 15 fi' I 21 x 2m Fig. 2

PATENTE HAYZOIHYS SHEET U, 0? 5 LIQUID COOLED MIXING TOOL FOR MACHINES FOR APPLYING GLUE TO SHAVINGS The present invention relates to a liquid cooled mixing tool for machines for applying glue to shavings, f1 bers or similar mixture of wood, bagasse or the like, especially cellulose-containing substances, which tool is arranged on a hollow shaft located centrally in a drumshaped mixing chamber and adapted to supply or withdraw cooling fluid, said mixing tool being adapted with its head portion to rotate at high speed in the vicinity of the wall of the mixing chamber and immersing into the mixing substance.

With heretofore known machines for applying glue to shavings, by means of high speed mixing tools, a rotating shaving ring of only slight thickness is produced within the region of the wall of the mixing chamber while liquid glue in drop shape is fed to said ring from the interior of the mixing chamber. The mixing tools are intended to produce relative movements in the mixing zone in the ring of the shaving material between the shavings, whereby the glue drops adhering to the individual shavings are rubbed between the shavings so as to be distributed as uniformly as possible. To this end, mixing tools have become known which are formed in the manner of a rod or paddle and are axially arranged in spaced relationship on said hollow shaft.

In view of the agitation of the mixing tools, the chips are to be rubbed against each other at a certain pressure so that the glue is wiped uniformly over the surfaces of the shavings. However, this pressure must not be too high because otherwise the shavings are crushed or diminuted excessively, and the strength values as well as the quality of the pressed plate will be reduced. If the pressed, material is whirled by the tools in the interior of the drum, this slight friction is not sufficient to wipe the glue over the surfaces of the shavings with heretofore known mixing tools which, for purposes of obtaining better sliding conditions for the shavings and for purposes of avoiding undue thicknesses are rounded at the head range toward the cooling passages, the shavings are on one hand when backing up in front of the mixing tool and in the gap between the radially outer head end of the mixing tool and the drum wall, pressed unduly so that damage to the shavings and due to the increased friction also increased wear and increased temperature development will be encountered, whereas on the other hand the shavings will in the direction of movement behind the mixing tool and in the axial intermediate chamber toward the adjacent mixing tool merely be whirled around considerably without pressure effect. Therefore, with the heretofore known mixing tools, on one hand, only an insufficient distribution of the glue will be realized between the shavings, whereas on the other hand a too high pressure effect will be exerted upon the shavings with the result that heating up and thus an inclination to the formation of lumps and wear on the tool and mixing chamber wall will occur as well as a diminution of shavings and thusa reduction in the quality of the pressed material.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a mixing tool of the above mentioned general type which, while carefully treating the shavings and specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross section through a portion of the mixing chamber within the region of the mixing tool.

FIG. 2 illustrates a partially sectioned side view of the mixing tool according to the invention.

FIG. 3 represents another embodiment of the invention while being illustrated in a manner similar to that of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates in section the embodiment of FIG. 3, said section being similar to that of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line V-V of FIG. 1 and along the line VV of FIG. 4.

I The mixing tool according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that the mixing tool includes in its head portion at least two legs which are arranged in a V-shaped manner with regard to each other and which with their common tip move ahead and are passed through by cooling liquid, the front of said legs being rounded. The pressed material is by the inclined legs hit at an acute angle so that depending on the circumferential speed adapted to the angular position of the two legs, the shavings are not pressed unduly in a corresponding considerable backup condition. Thereupon, the shavings slide over the rounded forefront of the legs whereby without undue pressure effect a velocity component in a direction transverse to the direction of rotation of the ring of shavings is imparted upon the shavings, which velocity component takes care of a distribution of the shavings having greater glue accumulations thereon 'among the shavings with less glue thereon. In view of the intensive relative movements of the shavings, which movement is produced by the tool according to the invention without local pressure peaks, a sufficient mixing effect can be realized without the tool ending in its radial outer region directly in front of the wall of the mixing chamber. Rather, when employing the invention it is possible and expedient to allow the tool to rotate at a greater distance from the wall of themixing chamber so that also in this way the pressure effects occurring between the tool and the mixing chamber wall will be reduced and the wear on the wall of the mixing chamber as well as on the outer surfaces of the tool will be reduced. Highly satisfactory results are as a rule obtained when the angle between the legs arranged in a V-shaped manner is in the vicinity of A uniform plowing through of the ring of shavings and thus a continuous distribution of the glue in the axial range of each mixing tool is realized by the fact that the two legs are approximately of identical length and that their line of symmetry is approximately perpendicular to the axis of the mixer shaft.

According to a particular advantage, the flaring ends of the legs are connected to the mixer shaft or to a holding arm extending toward the tip of the legs. This connection is effected by a strut each which in the head portion of the mixing tool are so inclined that their extension is located in front of the axis of the mixer shaft when looking in the direction of rotation of the mixing tool. Pressed material passed from the legs to the interior of the mixing chamber is again plowed up by said struts which impart upon the shaving material in view of the inclination of the struts a velocity component directed toward the wall of the mixing chamber and thus keep the ring of shaving material closed within the region of the mixing chamber wall. A front holding arm deviates portions of the mixing material laterally in the direction toward the rear struts so that the latter will include an increased mixing material proportion. Advantageously, the holding arm and the legs as well as the struts are designed as tubes of round cross section so that independently of the respectively occurring flow direction of the shavings, the latter will at any rate impact upon a rounded surface which prevents an unduly high backing up pressure upon the onflowing mixing material.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the line of symmetry of the legs in the plane of the V is adapted to the approximate rounding of the wall of the mixing chamber. A particularly careful treatment of the mixing material during simultaneous reduction in the wear on the mixing chamber is realized by the fact that the tip of the V-shaped leg which runs ahead is closer to the wall of the mixing chamber inasmuch as these legs form their rear ends.

In this way, it will be made possible that in the vicinity of the mixing wall, rotating material is caught by the tip of the V-shaped legs and is to a major extent deviated in the direction toward the interior of the mixing chamber so that in spite of the fact that the pressed material which is adjacent the mixing chamber wall is caught, an undue pressure effect upon this mixing material and thereby the mixing chamber wall, will be avoided. In case of a front holding arm laterally deviating the mixing chamber substantially parallel to the mixing chamber wall, the coming together of teh flow of materials influenced by the tip and by the holding arm bring about an additional intermixure under flow pressure.

Particularly when providing a front holding arm, it is of particular advantage to provide a deviating nose at the tip of the V-shaped leg, which nose runs ahead of the holding arm and is filled in its inner chamber by cooling fluid. Particularly when the deviating nose is in the manner of a plow equipped with surfaces which throw the material toward the side and toward the interior of the mixing chamber, the deviating nose produces a flow which is inclined toward the interior of the mixing chamber and which hits the holding arm not only or only in its lateral outer regions which already have surface portions located to a major extent in the direction of rotation. As a result thereof, also with a relatively massive holding arm, the buildup of a too highly pressed backup on its forefront is prevented on one hand by the fact that the deviating nose or the tip of the V-shaped leg feeds no additional mixing material into the central region directly ahead of the holding arm, and on the other hand, due to the fact that the flow which has been initiated by the deviating nose and flows past the central region of the holding arm immediately reduces a backup of material which may form in front of the holding arm or by section effect. The velocity components thus imparted by the deviating nose and the holding arm upon the pressed material transverse to the direction of rotation, furthermore bring about that considerable portions of the mixing material will at least twice be intermixed under moderate pressure namely, on one hand, at the deviating nose and/or the holding arm and on the other hand, at the rear range of the legs or at the rear struts. Moreover, in addition to the uniform and intimate intermixture, the taking hold of the mixing material by the mixing tool two times, has the advantage that behind the central range of the mixing tool there remains no streetwhich is materially cleaned from the mixing material, because the pressed material which is thrown toward the side by the deviating nose and the holding chamber from the intermediate range of the mixing tool, is to a sufficient extend replaced again by the rear ranges so that the natural tendency of the quickly rotating shaving substance ring is aided in forming a plane inner surface. The formation of a shaving material ring which is uniformly thick along the axis of the mixing shaft and as it is necessary for uniform intermixing without pressure peaks, is supplemented by the arrangement of the mixing tools on the mixer shaft in such a way that the inner wall of the mixing chamber is uniformly scanned by the mixing tools arranged in spaced relationship to each other. As a result thereof, those portions of the mixing material which are laterally thrown out of the working range of the mixing tool by the rear leg ranges and the rear struts, are grasped by the respective adjacent following mixing tool and are returned to a corresponding extent. Additionally, in view of the uniform scanning of the inner wall of the mixing chamber by the mixing tools arranged and designed in conformity with the invention, the advantage is obtained that the shaving ring is driven over its axial length in a continuous manner. Heretofore known tools in contrast thereto do not scan the entire surface of the inner wall of the mixing chamber so that in axial direction gaps occur in which the shaving material is not exposed to any effect exerted by the tools. Within the region of action of the tools, the shaving material ring must therefore be driven so strongly that it remains maintained in the zones outside the range of the action until the shaving material ring passes into the region of the axially following tools. Therefore, the speed of heretofore known tools is to be selected higher than is necessary for the required wiping pressure with the shaving against shaving friction. Also the possibility of obviating this drawback which is self-suggesting with heretofore known mixing tools, namely to mount the tools known per se on the shaft in closer arrangement with regard to each other does not bring about an actual success because the tools will within the radial range between the circumference of the shaft and the inner diameter of the shaving ring produce too much turbulence which acts counter to the ring formation. Only the employment of the mixing tools arranged and designed according to the invention, which in the head range have a favorable axial displacement and action width and radially within the head range in the form of the holding arm or struts have relatively narrow displacement bodies, will make possible a uniform scanning of the inner wall of the mixing chamber without an undue turbulence between the mixing shaft and the shaving ring proper. The drive of the shaving ring, which is substantially uniform over the entire axial length, will prevent that tools arranged at greater distances will at high relative speed and thus while building up a harmful high dynamic pressure, plow through the shaving material in order to maintain the fast rotation of the shaving material ring.

The mixing tool according to the present invention thus without pressure peaks and thereby without undue heating up and wear brings about a mixing movement which carefully treats the shaving material, and a mixing movement at speed components with regard to the mixing tool laterally in the direction of the axis of the mixing shaft as well as perpendicular thereto so that in each instance a fast reduction of high glue concentration in the shaving material as well as an intimate intermixture will be assured.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the arrange ment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a mixer shaft having mounted thereon the mixer tools 11 (one only being shown). The mixer shaft 10 comprises an inner hollow chamber 13 for feeding cooling fluid to the mixing tools 11 and furthermore comprises an annular passage 15 which coaxially surrounds the inner chamber 13 and is separated therefrom by a partition 14. This annular chamber 15 serves for returning the cooling fluid.

The mixing tools 11 are, together with the base plate 21, prefabricated, for instance, as a welding construction so as to form a structural unit. The mixer tools 11 have a front holding arm 16 and two rear struts 17 and 18 which at their ends are interconnected by V-shaped legs 19 and 20. The thus designed mixing tools 11 are preferably detachably connected, for instance, by a screw connection to the mixer shaft 10. For purposes of obtaining an adjustable distance between the head range of the mixing tool 11 and the wall 12 of the mixing chamber between the base plate 21 and the mixer shaft 10, advantageously intermediate discs 21a of variable thickness are arranged.

The cooling fluid passes from the inner hollow chamber 13 through a feeding line 22 which passes from the partition 14 and extends through the annular passage 15. The cooling fluid then passes through the passage 23a in the intermediate disc 21a and through the passage 23 in the base plate 21 into a passage 24. The pas sage 24 is located in the interior of the holding arm 16 and forms the feeding line to the head range of the mixer tool 11. The cooling fluid is, in view of the centrifugal force acting thereupon, conveyed to the tip of the V-shaped legs 19 and 20. From here the cooling fluid passes into cooling passages 25 and 26 (FIG. 5) in the legs 19 and 20 respectively and is at the rear leg ends conveyed through passages 27 and 28 to the rear struts 17 and 19 through passages 29 in base plate 21 and is, through the intermediate disc 21a, conveyed to the annular passage 15 from where it is discharged.

At the front tip of the V-shaped legs 19 and 20 there is provided a nose 30 which runs ahead of the holding arm 16. This nose 30 has an inner hollow chamber 31 for cooling purposes. If, under special conditions of operation, the cooling of the nose 30 by the hollow chamber 31 should prove unsatisfactory, it is possible without difficulties within the region of the central line of legs 19 and 20 to provide an impact plate above the passage 24 in the holding arm 16. This impact plate will force a directed flow of high speed through the hollow chamber 31. As will be evident in particular from FIG. 2, the nose 30 is, in the manner of a plow, equipped with surfaces 32 and 33 for throwing the material toward the side and toward the interior of the mixing chamber. As a result thereof, the material is conveyed laterally past the holding arm 16 on the rear ranges of the legs 19 and 20 and the rear struts l7 and 18.

The legs 19 and 20, which are rounded in conformity with the curvature of the wall 12 of the mixing chamber, are in the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow 34 at the front, so directed with regard to the wall 12 of the mixing chamber that the nose 30 with its tip and the lateral surfaces 32 and 33 catches the mixing material which is adjacent the wall 12 and lifts said mixing material off the wall 12 without any harmful pressure effect upon the mixing material located between the nose 30 and the wall 12. In this way, an undue wear of the wall 12 within the region of the mixing tool 11 and, in particular, the nose 30 will be avoided.

As will be evident from FIG. 2, the shaving material is, in view of the inclined surfaces 32 and 33 of nose 30, and in view of the holding arm. 16, conveyed toward the side in the direction toward the rear struts l7 and 18. Here the mixing material is, at the round surfaces ofthe struts l7 and 19, again deviated toward both sides on one hand to the less mixing material containing chamber behind the nose and the holding arm 16 so that the mixing material which, in the front portion of the mixing tool, is laterally moved out of this region. is replaced, while on the other hand, the mixing material is moved also laterally out of the region of the mixing tool 11. In conformity with the invention, the mixing tools 11 which are axially in spaced relationship to each other arranged on shaft 10 are connected to the mixer shaft 10 in such a way that the respectively laterally adjacent and successive mixing tools 11 can just catch the shaving material which has been laterally moved out of the range of the front mixing tool and can return a portion thereof into the working range of the first mixing tool 11. In this way, shaving material is currently moved back and forth between the mixing tools and between the struts 17, 18 and the holding arms 16 so that an equalization of the layer thickness of the shaving material ring occurs and simultaneously a thorough intermixing of the material.

At the same time, to this end the nose 30, by means of its lateral surfaces 32 and 33, in combination with the legs 19 and 20, generates a movement of shaving parts in a direction transverse to the surface of the wall 12 of the mixing chamber, which wall defines the outer contour of the shaving material ring so that also in this direction a fast reduction in glue concentrations, in other words, the desired homogenization of the glue distribution will be assured.

In view of the fact that the rear struts l7 and 18 form an acute angle with regard to the wall 12 of the mixing chamber, in other words their extension in the direction of rotation (arrow 34), is located in front of the axis of the mixing shaft 10, it will be assured that those portions of the flow of the material which are deviated by the lateral surfaces 32 and 33 of nose 30 in the direction toward the mixer shaft 10 and are simultaneously conveyed in the direction toward the lateral struts l7 and 18 are additionally conveyed back in the direction toward the wall 12 of the mixing chamber in order, in spite of the fast speed of rotation, and thereby fast succession of adjacent mixing tools 11, to maintain in front of each mixing tool 11, a ring of material which engages the tool 12 in a closed condition.

FIGS. 3 and 4 in which parts similar to those of FIGS. 1 and 2 have been designated with the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1 and 2, illustrate a further embodiment of the invention. This embodiment differs from the above described embodiment primarily in that the rear struts 17 and 18 do not extend rectilinearly to the mixer shaft 10 but are at half the height angled off toward the holding arm 16, and similar to the latter, are connected to a stand pipe 35 which connects the mixing tool 11 to the mixer shaft 10. The pipe 35 is, on one hand firmly connected to the ends of the struts 17 and 18 and to the holding arm 16, and on the other hand is, by means of an outer thread screwed into a threaded sleeve 36 which is stationary with regard to the mixer shaft 10. This screw connection issecured by a counter nut 37. When screwing the stand pipe 35 into the threaded sleeve 36 of the mixer shaft 10, the extended feeding line 22 will in an axial alignment and substantially play free move into the passage 24 of the holding arm 16 so that the flow of the cooling fluid is connected to the cooling passages 25 and 26 of the legs 19 and 20. The stand pipe 35 surrounds the outer wall 38 of the feeding line 22 with considerable play, so that the space remaining between the outer wall 38 of the feeding line 22 and the inner surface of the stand pipe 35 forms an annular passage 39 for the return of the cooling fluid into the annular passage of the mixer shaft 10 because the mouth of the passages 27 and 28 is located in the rear struts 17 and 18 below the inner end of the holding arm 16. With this arrangement an adjustment of the distance between the outer side of the tool 11 and nose 30 and the wall 12 of the mixing chamber by complete pitches of the threaded sleeve 36 and pipe 35 will be possible. Such adjustment is also desirable with the mixing tools according to the invention because a distance between the nose 30 and the wall 12 of the mixing chamber, which distance is provided for the application of glue to relatively large shavings, should be reduced when applying glue to dust-shaped material, in order to assure that the material adjacent the wall of the mixing chamber will for obtaining a good intermixture also be caught and assured when the particles of the material have very small dimensions.

Further adjustments of the tool according to the invention, for instance, in conformity with different structures of shaving types or different outputs of the glue-applying machine are principally not necessary, in contrast to the heretofore known mixing tools. The wide sides of the heretofore known mixing tools, however, are at an incline with regard to the axis ofthe mixing chamber arranged in part for forward feeding and in part for return feeding in order to maintain the corthe filling height of the drum, exert a pressure upon the throttle valve which is dependent on the filling height of the drum. The conveying output or working output of the glue-applying machine can, when employing the mixing tools according to the invention, thus be set merely by the opening pressure of the throttle valve at the outlet opening because, in view of the working operation of the mixing tools according to the invention, care is taken for assuring always a uniform filling height so that a uniform thickness of the rotating ring of shaving material will be assured. If now, for instance, more shaving material with glue applied thereto is withdrawn, the thickness of the ring of shaving material is within the axial range of the withdrawal opening briefly reduced. However, in view of the fast equalization of the fillng height, the withdrawn material is independently of the withdrawing speed immediately replaced by shaving material on the axial inner ranges of the mixing chamber. It is a matter of course that the filling height in the mixing chamber may also be adjusted by controlling the discharge opening, for instance, flap or sliding weights, by the current consumption of the motor of the device. Such an arrangement, however, is somewhat more expensive than the above described a rrangement.

According to a further advantageous development of the invention, in view of the fundamentally provided withdrawal of shaving material having glue applied thereto, the transfer to the withdrawing opening is aided by the fact that the nose when viewed in the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow 34 points at an incline toward the charging side, as shown in FIG.

' 5. In this way, a certain conveyor pressure in the direcrect degree of filling in the machine in conformity with the respective through put. In particular, when varying the through put, the mixing tools have to be set anew. On the other hand, when employing the present invention, as already mentioned above, with each rotation of the mixing shaft, a careful and uniform scanning of the entire wall 12 of the mixing chamber by the space tools is assured, as well as a continuous back and forth movement of shaving material between the individual mixing tools 11 and their holding arm 16 and struts 17 and 18, while the shavings are rubbed at moderate pressure against each other.

Due to the fact that the lines of symmetry of the tools 11 are located perpendicularly with regard to the mixer shaft 10, fundamentally during the back and forth movement of the material, no feeding of the material in one preferred direction occurs. The shaving material equalizes in view of the fast back and forth movement axially in the mixing chamber to a uniform filling height. At the end of the mixing chamber there is provided a discharge opening which is adapted to be controlled by a throttle valve. By setting the load at the opening for the throttle valve, for instance, by means of a slidable weight, the height of filling in the mixing chamber can be adjusted because the mixing tool 11 rotates above the throttle valve and will, depending on tion toward the withdrawal opening is always maintained, and the maximum withdrawal speed is increased further without, however, for instance when the withdrawal opening is closed, a harmful accumulation of shaving material occurs within the axial range of the withdrawal opening. Such harmful accumulation is effectively avoided by the continuous fast back and forth movement of the shaving material and by equalizing the filling height.

As will be evident from the above, the present invention is, by no means, limited to the specific showing in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, for instance, the legs 19 and 20 may be curved in a direction opposite to the direction in which the wall 12 of the mixing chamber is curved, whereby the intermediate and rear ranges of the legs would be brought into the main path of the material which is deviated by the surfaces 32 and 33 and nose 30 and of the holding arm 16.

In this connection, a simplification of the construction would be possible only at a slight loss in efficiency, for instance, by eliminating the rear struts 17 and 18 and by circuiting the rear ends of the legs 19 and 20 by a connecting strut which is substantially parallel to the axis of the mixer shaft 10. The lateral conveying effect of the rear struts 17 and 18 in the direction of the axis of the mixer shaft could with such an embodiment be replaced at least partially, for instance, by noses at the end of the legs 19 and 20, which noses would extend in the direction of the struts l7 and 18. On the other hand, also an embodiment according to the invention would be possible in which the two legs 19 and 20 arranged in a V-shaped manner with regard to each other are held exclusively by the struts l7 and 18 engaging the rear leg ends while the function of the front holding arm 16 is taken care of solely by the nose 30 with correspondingly designed lateral surfaces 32 and 33. The cooling fluid would be conveyed through a strut 17 or 18, through leg 19 or 20 to the nose 30, and then would be returned through leg 20 or 19 and through strut 18 or 17.

Similar to feeding the cooling liquid in the illustrated embodiments through struts 17 and 18 and returning the cooling fluid through the holding arm 16, it would also be possible to compensate for the loss in cooling output within the region of the nose which is under the influence of a particularly high heat effect, by corresponding selection of the employed cooling substance, by a selection of the cooling through put or by the design of the walls to be cooled. In each instance, it is possible to obtain such cooling effect which prevents a formation of deposits or lumps by a premature binding of the shaving material.coming into contact with the mixing tools 11. Heretofore known tools have no uniform cooling effect, inasmuch as the conveyance of water cannot be designed for-optimum condition. Heretofore known tools have partially angled-off paddle or plate shape, back-up or dead zones whereby an effective cooling water circulation is prevented. Moreover, the wall thickness between the water chamber and the contact surface with regard to the shaving material is not of uniform thickness. The tools according to the invention, however, bring about a forced cooling water circulation with which the wall thickness of the conveying parts is substantially uniform throughout the entire tool so that an intensive cooling of all thermally affected surface ranges is obtainable without any material additional parts and costs.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device for mixing materials, especially for mixing glue or the like with particles, in a horizontal drum shaped container; a horizontal shaft rotatable on the axis of the container and having first and second axial passages therein for cooling fluid, and mixing tools carried by the shaft and extending radially therefrom, each tool having a radially outer head portion adjacent the peripheral wall of the container, each head portion comprising at least two tubular legs extending in the peripheral direction and converging toward the leading side of the tool, said legs being interconnected at the leading ends and forming a pointed leading end on the tool, and ineans for conducting cooling fluid from one of said first and second passages in said shaft through said tubular legs and back to the other of said passages, said tool having angularly related support struts connected at the radially inner ends to said shaft and at the radially outer ends to the leading and trailing ends of said legs, said struts being tubular and converging cooling fluid between said first and second passages in said shaft and said tubular legs, said legs and struts being fixedly interconnected, said struts converging in the radially inward direction toward the shaft, a threaded substantially radial nipple member fixed to the radially inner ends of said struts, said shaft having a threaded hole for adjustably receiving said nipple member, and clamp means for clamping the nipple memberto said shaft in adjusted positions in said threaded hole, said shaft having an axial bore, a pipe on the axis of the shaft smaller than said bore, said first passage being formed by the inside of said pipe and said second passage being formed by the region inside said bore and surrounding said pipe, a supply conduit connected at one end to said pipe and extending with radial clearance along the axis of said nipple member and connected at the other end to the strut which is connected to the leading ends of said legs and converging fluid between said first passage and the strut, the struts connected to the trailing ends of said legs communicating with the space in said nipple member which surrounds said conduit, said space communicating with the inside of the bore in said shaft whereby the last mentioned struts communicate with said second passage.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which the leading sides of said legs are rounded, said legs diverging in the trailing direction at an included angle of not more than about and being about equal in length, a radial plane disposed angularly about midway between said legs being perpendicular to the axis of said shaft.

3. A device according to claim 1 in which said tool has angularly related support struts connected at the radially inner ends to said shaft and at the radially outer ends to the leading and trailing ends of said legs, said struts being tubular and converging cooling fluid between said first and second passages in said shaft and said tubular legs.

4. A device according to claim 3 in which said struts include a leading strut connected to said legs near the interconnected leading ends thereof and a pair of trailing struts connected to the legs near the trailing ends thereof, said trailing struts in at least the radially outer regions thereofinclining forwardly from a radius to said shaft in the radially inward direction.

5. A device according to claim 1 in which said tool has angularly related support struts connected at the radially inner ends to said shaft and at the radially outer ends to the leading and trailing ends of said legs, said struts being tubular and converging cooling fluid be tween said first and second passages in said shaft and said tubular legs, all of said legs and struts being formed of round pipe.

6. A device according to claim 1 in which said legs when viewed in the axial direction of said container curve away from the wall of the peripheral container in the trailing direction.

7. A device according to claim 1 in which said legs when viewed in the axial direction of said container are formed so as to be concentric with the peripheral wall of the container.

8. A device according to claim 1 which includes a deviating nose member mounted on the leading side of said tool at the juncture of said legs, said member being hollow and cooling fluid supplied to said legs flowing therethrough, said member having side surfaces which converge in the radially inward direction toward said shaft and also in the leading direction of said tool whereby said member has a plow-like action as the tool moves through particles in the container.

9. A device according to claim 8 in which said member has an axis of symmetry which extends angularly to the peripheral direction of movement of the tool when viewed in the radial direction whereby to bias material in said container toward one axial end thereof.

10. A device according to claim 1 in which said tool has angularly related support struts connected at the radially inner ends to said shaft and at the radially outer ends to the leading and trailing ends of said legs, said struts being tubular and converging cooling fluid between said first and second passages in said shaft and said tubular legs, said legs and struts being fixedly interconnected as by welding.

ll. A device according to claim 1 in which said tool has angularly related support struts connected at the radially inner ends to said shaft and at the radially outer ends to the leading and trailing ends of said legs, said struts being tubular and converging cooling fluid between said first and second passages in said shaft and said tubular legs, said legs and struts being fixedly interconnected, said struts converging in the radially inward direction toward the shaft, a base plate fixed to the radially inner ends of said struts, and'a further plate excumferential range of an adjacent tool. 

1. In a device for mixing materials, especially for mixing glue or the like with particles, in a horizontal drum shaped container; a horizontal shaft rotatable on the axis of the container and having first and second axial passages therein for cooling fluid, and mixing tools carried by the shaft and extending radially therefrom, each tool having a radially outer head portion adjacent the peripheral wall of the container, each head portion comprising at least two tubular legs extending in the peripheral direction and converging toward the leading side of the tool, said legs being interconnected at the leading ends and forming a pointed leading end on the tool, and means for Conducting cooling fluid from one of said first and second passages in said shaft through said tubular legs and back to the other of said passages, said tool having angularly related support struts connected at the radially inner ends to said shaft and at the radially outer ends to the leading and trailing ends of said legs, said struts being tubular and converging cooling fluid between said first and second passages in said shaft and said tubular legs, said legs and struts being fixedly interconnected, said struts converging in the radially inward direction toward the shaft, a threaded substantially radial nipple member fixed to the radially inner ends of said struts, said shaft having a threaded hole for adjustably receiving said nipple member, and clamp means for clamping the nipple member to said shaft in adjusted positions in said threaded hole, said shaft having an axial bore, a pipe on the axis of the shaft smaller than said bore, said first passage being formed by the inside of said pipe and said second passage being formed by the region inside said bore and surrounding said pipe, a supply conduit connected at one end to said pipe and extending with radial clearance along the axis of said nipple member and connected at the other end to the strut which is connected to the leading ends of said legs and converging fluid between said first passage and the strut, the struts connected to the trailing ends of said legs communicating with the space in said nipple member which surrounds said conduit, said space communicating with the inside of the bore in said shaft whereby the last mentioned struts communicate with said second passage.
 2. A device according to claim 1 in which the leading sides of said legs are rounded, said legs diverging in the trailing direction at an included angle of not more than about 90* and being about equal in length, a radial plane disposed angularly about midway between said legs being perpendicular to the axis of said shaft.
 3. A device according to claim 1 in which said tool has angularly related support struts connected at the radially inner ends to said shaft and at the radially outer ends to the leading and trailing ends of said legs, said struts being tubular and converging cooling fluid between said first and second passages in said shaft and said tubular legs.
 4. A device according to claim 3 in which said struts include a leading strut connected to said legs near the interconnected leading ends thereof and a pair of trailing struts connected to the legs near the trailing ends thereof, said trailing struts in at least the radially outer regions thereof inclining forwardly from a radius to said shaft in the radially inward direction.
 5. A device according to claim 1 in which said tool has angularly related support struts connected at the radially inner ends to said shaft and at the radially outer ends to the leading and trailing ends of said legs, said struts being tubular and converging cooling fluid between said first and second passages in said shaft and said tubular legs, all of said legs and struts being formed of round pipe.
 6. A device according to claim 1 in which said legs when viewed in the axial direction of said container curve away from the wall of the peripheral container in the trailing direction.
 7. A device according to claim 1 in which said legs when viewed in the axial direction of said container are formed so as to be concentric with the peripheral wall of the container.
 8. A device according to claim 1 which includes a deviating nose member mounted on the leading side of said tool at the juncture of said legs, said member being hollow and cooling fluid supplied to said legs flowing therethrough, said member having side surfaces which converge in the radially inward direction toward said shaft and also in the leading direction of said tool whereby said member has a plow-like action as the tool moves through particles in the container.
 9. A device according to claim 8 in wHich said member has an axis of symmetry which extends angularly to the peripheral direction of movement of the tool when viewed in the radial direction whereby to bias material in said container toward one axial end thereof.
 10. A device according to claim 1 in which said tool has angularly related support struts connected at the radially inner ends to said shaft and at the radially outer ends to the leading and trailing ends of said legs, said struts being tubular and converging cooling fluid between said first and second passages in said shaft and said tubular legs, said legs and struts being fixedly interconnected as by welding.
 11. A device according to claim 1 in which said tool has angularly related support struts connected at the radially inner ends to said shaft and at the radially outer ends to the leading and trailing ends of said legs, said struts being tubular and converging cooling fluid between said first and second passages in said shaft and said tubular legs, said legs and struts being fixedly interconnected, said struts converging in the radially inward direction toward the shaft, a base plate fixed to the radially inner ends of said struts, and a further plate exchangeably interposed between said base plate and said shaft.
 12. A device according to claim 1 in which said shaft has a plurality of the said tools mounted thereon in circumferentially and axially distributed relation.
 13. A device according to claim 12 in which the axial range of each tool overlaps the axial range of a tool next adjacent thereto in the axial direction.
 14. A device according to claim 13 in which each tool when viewed in the axial direction is within the circumferential range of an adjacent tool. 